Ball and seat valve



March 22 19 27 J. F. LARKIN BALL AND SEAT yVALVE Filed April 18, 1925 Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

NITE-D 'ST JAMES F. LAB/KIN, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BALL ANI) SEAT VALVE. v

Application nle April 18, 1925. Serial No. 24,077.

lily invention relates to well pumping equipment, and it relates particularly to a novel form of valve construction for pumps of such equipment.

In the art of pumping oil, it is found that oil in wells sometimes is heavily impregnated with acid properties, and sometimes contains abrasive substances such as sand, both of which tend to destroy the closing eiiiciency of the valve constructions of the pumps operating therein. In this art. a pump comprising a pump barrel is situated near the bottom of a well. The barrel of the pump is secured at the ylower end of a string oi' pump tubing which extends upwardly through the well and has a stuffing box secured' at the upper end thereof. The plunger ot the pump is connected at the lower end of a string ci sucker rods which extends upwardly through the pump tubing, through the stuffing box at the upper end oi' the pump tubing and is secured to a walking beam by which the plunger is reciprocated. .The pump barrel has a standing valve for closing the bottom end thereofbelow the plunger and the plunger is lprovided with a working valve. The standard :form of pump has valve constructions having steel balls which engage .steel seats. The destructive action oi the oil very soon destroys an eiiective closing of these valves, .the abrasive action oi the .sand in the oil soon wears the seat and bal-l away, Vand the v.acid properties ot the oil `soon deteriorate, the balls and seats destroying a perfect closing of the valve.

It is an object of my -invention to provide `a valve construction which will not be aiected by abrasive substances and acid properties contained in the fluid being pumped. I accomplish this. object of myl invention by providing a valve construction having a ball and a lseat made of glass or other silicon material.

It is .another object of my invention to provide a valve construction oty this character in which the seat member as well as the ball is replaceable. I accomplish this object by providing a cylindrical seat member or liner which is supported in place by a .suitable retainer. By removing Vcertain parts, the retainer is removed from place so that the seat member may be removed and replaced by another seat member.

It Vis another object of my invention to provide a valve construction oi the character described in which the seat may be secured tightly in place. I provide a metal retainer for supporting the brittle seat member inplace. The metal retainer is capable of withstanding considerable compressive, torce. It is obvious that the glass seat member could not stand much compressive force due to its extreme brittleness.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawing in which I illustrate a preferred embodiment ot my invention,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the utility o i a valve construction having the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partially sectioned view showing a valve construction of my invention in detail.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4C is .a perspective view oiga portion of one of the retaining members provided by my invention.

Withreference to Fig. 1, I show a pump construction 11 comprising a plunger 12 and a barrel'lS. rIhe barrel 13 is secured at the lowerend of a pump tubing 14 which extends upwardly through a well 15 and which has a stuiiing box 16 secured at the upper end thereof. 'Ihe pump plunger 12 is connected at the lower end of a string of sucker rods 18, this string 18 extending upwardly through the pump tubing 14- and through the stuiiing box 16, the extreme upper end thereof connecting to a walking beam 19 by which it is reciprocated.

At the lower end of the pump barrel 13 is a standing valve 21 having the features ot my invention, and at the upper end of the plunger 12 is a working valve 22 having the 'features of my invention. W' hen the walking beam 19 is operated, the sucker rod string 18 is reciprocated in 'a manner to reciprocate the pump plunger 12 inside vthe barrel 13. This action elevates oil through the pump. tubing 1d, oil being conducted from the upper end thereof by a branch pipe 23 to a suitable storage, (not shown). 'Ehe standing valve 21 and the working valve 22 are oi: similar constructions, both of these valves being typicallyl illustrated in Figs. 2 to il, inclusive, of the drawings.

With reference to these drawings, my in- V vention provides va spherical `closing member or ball 30 which is adapted to engage a seat 31 formed at the upper end of a seat member 32. The ball 30 and the seat member 32 are both preferably made from a glass or other silicon substance which has certain properties which will be emphasized hereinafter. The seat 31 is a spherical seatand is preferably formed by grinding the ball 30 in place, this being a simple .and effective manner of obtaining a very accurate fit. The seat member 32 is supported by a retainer 33. The retainer 33 is comprised of a pair of retainer members 34 which are identical in construction but inverted in position when in use. Each of these retainer members 34- comprises, as clearly shown in Fig. 41:, a cylindrical portion 36 having an inwardly proj-ecting annular lip 37 formed at one end thereof. At the other end of the cylindrical portion 36, there is formed an outwardly extending flange 38 which is preferably somewhat thicker than the other portions of the members 3st. The members 34 when supporting the seat member 32 are placed so that lips 37 engage opposite ends of th-e member 32 and so that faces 39 of the Hanges 38 abut. These members are clamped in place in their proper position. In the drawings I show the flanges 38 clamped against a shoulder 40 of a member 4l by a shoulder 42 of a cage member 4.3 which is threadably secured to the member 4:1, as indicated at 45.

A ball and seat mad-e from glass or other silicon material form a very tight contact, this contact being due to the affinity of water for ground glass and is found to be peculiarly eflicient in holding oil pressure. The small capillary space between the ball and seat contains a capillary film of water which resists the introduction of oil. This film of water prevents an actual contact of the surfaces and greatly reduc-es wear thereon.

A further advantage of the construction of this character is that glass or its equivalent is entirely chemically inert in both sulphur water and oil. When metal surfaces are used in such circumstances, there is considerable chemical action probably due to local electrolysis which causes a rapid deterioration of the exposed metal surfaces. Glass is not affected chemically either by oil or the acid characteristics thereof or any substances commonly found in solution in oil.

Y Another advantage found in the use of a valve of this construction is that glass offers a very great resistance to mechanical cutting action such as is present due to the silt and sand carried in the oil. When metal valves are used, they are rapidly cut away, whereas valves of my invention last a comparatively long time.

The feature of providing a replaceable seat member is very valuable to my invention. lNot only does it allow a replacing of the seat member 32 when it has become worn,

but it also allows an optional placing of various sizes of liners to suit various conditions. For example, when the gas pressure in the well decreases, sand or silt being mixed with thetluid tends to settle back with the fluid, causing the well to sand-up. When the pressure decreases, the liners or seat members 32 are replaced by liners having a smaller diameter opening therethrough. The oil must then pass through a smaller opening which tends to maintain the velocity and prevent a settling back of the sand into the pump. As the gas further decreases in pressure, liners of smaller inside diameter may be installed.

By using a retaining member made from metal, it is possible to tightly secure the liner or seat member in place without danger of cracking same.

Although I have shown and described a metal retainer 33 and a silicon liner or seat member 32, I wish it to be understood that I intend to make the liner 32 from metal as well .as making the retainer from metal. Using a liner and a retainer is a big factor of economy over the present seat constructions. On old valve constructions, it is necessary to replace a complete member. When it is necessary to replace a seat in the valve construction of my invention, it is only necessary to replace the liner 32. There is, therefore, considerable machining on each seat of the old type of valve constructions, which makes them considerablyy expensive. In my invention, the retaining members which are properly machined are capable of use throughout the ent-ire life of a pump. The liners 32 are tubular and the machinework thereon is very small. Therefore, they may be replaced a great deal cheaper than the common type of valve seat. For these reasons, I do not wish to limit myself to a metal retainer supporting a silicon liner, but I wish my invention to be interpreted in the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a valve construction, the combination of: a seat member devoid of supporting projections; a retainer surrounding said seat member throughout its length and having an inturned lip engaging the lower end of said seat member; a body member having a seat for engagement by said retainer; and an annular clamp member having a screwthreaded engagement with said body member and engaging' the retainer to clamp said retainer in place.

2. In a valve construction, the combination of: a seat member devoid of supporting projections, a retainer surrounding said seat member throughout its length, said retainer having an inturned lip engaging the lower end of said seat member, and provided with an outwardly projecting flange; a body member having a seat for engagement by the flange of said retainer; and a clamp member having a screw-threaded engagement with said body member and engaging said flange to clamp said retainer in place.

3. In a valve construction, the combination of: a reversible seat unit comprising a tubular seat member devoid oi? supporting projections, and a retaining shell surrounding said seat member throughout its length and having an inturned lip at each end, said lips engaging the opposite ends of said seat member; a body member havinga seat for engagement by said retaining shell; and an annular clamp member having a. screw-threaded engagement with said body member and engaging the retaining shell to clamp said seat unit in place.

4. In a valve construction, the combination of: a reversible seat unit comprising a tubular seat member devoid of supporting projections, and a retaining shell surrounding said seat member throughout its length, said shell having an inturned Vlip at each end engaging the respective -ends oi' said seat member and a medial outwardl ro'ectino b flange; a body member having a seat for engagement by said flange; and a clamp member havin i a screw-tlireaded engagement With said t(body member and engaging said iiange to clamp said seat unit in place.

5. A valve seat unit adapted for insertion in a valve body and consisting of a tubular seat member devoid of supporting projections; and a retaining shell surrounding said seat member throughout its length, said shell having an inturned lip at each end engaging the respective ends of said seat member, and an intermediate outwardly extending supporting flange whereby said valve seat unit is supported.

6. In a valve construction, the combination of: a seat member; a retainer for supporting said seat member, said retainercomprising a pair of cooperating retainer members, each of said retainer members having a cylindrical portion surrounding said seat member, a lip formed at one end of said cylindrical portion engaging an end of said seat member, and a ilange formed at the other end of said cylindrical portion, the ilanges of said retainer members abuttinoH and means for 3 securing said retainer in palace.

7. In a valve construction, the combination of: a seat member; a retainer for supporting said seat member, said retainer comprising a pair oi' cooperating retainer members, each of said retainer members having a cylin drical portion surrounding said seat member, a lip formed at one end of said cylindrical portion engaging an end or said seat meinber, and a flange formed at the other end of said cylindrical portion, the flanges of said Y retainer members abutting; and means for securing said retainer in place, said means engaging said iianges.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 11th day of April, 1925.

JAMES F. LARKIN. 

